In response to two statements made by Independent MLAs regarding Indigenous sovereignty in B.C., the Okanagan Public School's Board of Education is making it clear that it will continue to support First Nations People's right to self-determination.

"Each day, from our classrooms to our boardrooms, we acknowledge that the land on which we are grateful to live, work, learn, and play is the unceded and Traditional Territory of the Okanagan People," said the Okanagan Public School Board on May 22, in solidarity with the Okanagan Indian Bands' condemnation of the MLA's anti-Indigenous sovereignty statements.

The Board's message of unequivocal support for Indigenous Peoples' right to self-determination comes in response to two joint statements made by Dallas Brodie and 葰ara Armstrong, who represent Vancouver-Quilchena and 琉璃神社-Lake Country-Coldstream, respectively, as former B.C. Conservative and now Independent MLAs.

The two Independent MLAs, along with Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy separated from the Conservative Party of B.C. in March, after Brodie was removed by party leader John Rustad for 鈥渕ocking and belittling鈥� residential school survivors.  Brodie had made numerous statements on X and on podcasts denying the negative impact of residential schools on Indigenous people.

Kealy had co-signed the original statement the Independent MLAs made following the federal election, where Indigenous People's right to self-determination was first mentioned, in which they accused successive federal Liberal governments of neglecting "crucial issues" impacting British Columbia including the assertions of sovereignty by more than 200 Indigenous bands across the province. Brodie and Armstrong were alone in signing the second statement following pushback from First Nations. 

According to the Government of Canada, sovereignty means that a people, like Indigenous Nations, have the authority to self-govern. have an inherent right to self-government and has made commitments to reconciliation with First Nations communities and recognizes Indigenous sovereignty. The Okanagan School Board said that in line with Canadian law, it supports Indigenous Nation's right to self-determination, in accordance with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"We acknowledge a history of colonialism, in which the institution of education was complicit, that oppressed Indigenous Peoples in the Central Okanagan and across Canada. We acknowledge the systemic, historical, and ongoing racism that broke apart families, dismantled communities, suppressed languages, and disconnected people from the land that defined their spirituality and sustained their existence," said the Board. 

After receiving calls to resign and condemnation from the snpink鈥檛n (Penticton) Indian Band after their post-federal election statement, Brodie and Armstrong doubled down on their disagreement of Indigenous Bands' right to assert sovereignty, saying: "British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, it saw no need to recognize Aboriginal title or sovereignty and resisted the creation of reserves for fear of excluding Indigenous people from public life. We hold a similar hope for our future鈥攖hat all British Columbians will partake as equals in the province's future prosperity."

The Lower Similkameen Indian Band, in their own statement supporting the PIB and syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance, pointed out in 1871, Indigenous people, women and settlers were not equal under the law, and provided a link to Elections Canada's History of Federal Voting Rights as their source. 

The MLAs also said that assertions of sovereignty by Bands are "deepening racial conflict and undermining the principle of equality under the law."

In lieu of an interview, MLA Armstrong answered emailed questions about Indigenous sovereignty.  

When asked why Indigenous sovereignty is a crucial issue, Armstrong said that having more than 200 independently self-governing Indigenous bands in B.C., "makes the British Columbia economy uninvestable."

Armstrong then posed the question: "Why would owners of private capital want to make long-term investments into Canadian resource development if the permitting process requires several years of consultations, millions of dollars of payments to Indigenous leaders, an approval process that is subject to the veto-rights of multiple local bands, and then at the mercy of blockades, expulsions or other hostile actions against their projects justified in the name of Indigenous sovereignty?"

Throughout her responses, Armstrong made specific reference to the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs' opposition and blockade of an oil and gas pipeline in northern B.C.

When asked if the fact that Indigenous Nations across the province state that B.C. is located on unceded Indigenous land, is relevant to conversations about sovereignty, Armstrong said:

"The claim that British Columbia is on unceded land is used by some Indigenous leaders to justify assertions of sovereignty which would place their own actions above the laws of Canada and weaken the rights of other members of their bands. In many cases, indigenous 'laws' are not written and take the form of songs, stories, and myths subject to a wide range of interpretations. Thus, the claim for sovereignty by Indigenous leaders gives those leaders greater power over their members and reduces their accountability to clear and enforceable legal procedures. It even undermines their constitutional rights as individual Canadians."

Sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act recognize Indigenous rights and treaties, and explicitly include rights that exist by way of land claims agreements past, present and future, and that these sections protect Indigenous rights even if they may conflict with other Charter sections if they would undermine the "Indigenous difference."

This was pointed out by the Supreme Court of Canada in a 2024 ruling, where it was stated: "Indigenous peoples have the right to promote, develop and maintain their institutional structures and their distinctive customs, spirituality, traditions, procedures, practices and, in the cases where they exist, juridical systems or customs, in accordance with international human rights standards."

The Board of Education said that it plans to continue building a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for people of all backgrounds.

"As a school district with more than 3,200 Indigenous students, we are deeply grateful to the Indigenous families, staff members, advocates, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and First Nations whose leadership and guidance continue to enrich the educational journeys of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners," explained SD23. 

Board chair Julia Fraser also affirmed the Board's statement by adding, " Acknowledging that the First Nations have been the traditional stewards of the Central Okanagan for millennia is foundational to the work we do to further truth and reconciliation and is at the core of our Strategic Plan."